- The 2027 Mercedes GLS 580 is equipped with a V8 flat-plane crankshaft.
- The cloud-based suspension can adapt to the road using crowdsourced data.
- MBUX Superscreen brings the GLS into the current era.
Mercedes’ biggest SUV just got a much-needed and comprehensive refresh. Meet the 2027 Mercedes-Benz GLS, now with a flat-plane crankshaft V8, three screens on the dash, and “cloud-based” suspension. And, as usual with Benz, it looks even more exaggerated than before.
Starting from the exterior, it is clearly still an evolution of the old GLS but with the latest Mercedes design equipment. The front fascia now follows the design language seen on the E-Class, with much larger headlights featuring a three-pointed star lighting motif. The rear is the same, with rear lights similar to the E-Class. Subjectively, the front looks a bit odd with such large headlights, but I digress.
In it, the much-needed MBUX update has been implemented. Now with MBUX Superscreen, which includes three hidden display panels, the GLS finally has the latest generation of Mercedes infotainment. Even better, the row of physical switches below the center screen remains, as do most of the physical controls from the previous GLS. No portrait-oriented tablet here–Mercedes is listening to the market here.
But it gets really interesting when it comes to driving technology. The GLS 450 is equipped with an updated 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, which is a good engine. However, the V8 GLS 580 now has a flat crankshaft, just like the S-Class. For the GLS, Mercedes says the flatplane is “preparation for future emissions standards,” which sheds a little more light on the mystery of the flatplane.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Additionally, the GLS has air suspension as standard, with cloud-based ride quality technology. Basically, the suspension samples the road 1000 times per second and stores the data in the cloud. With stored data, which Mercedes collects from any car equipped with it, the suspension can soften or harden before impact. I guess linking the improved ride quality to the word “cloud” is also a cool side effect.
Motorcycle Pickup1: It’s not a revolution, but it’s a much-needed evolution for the GLS. Everything looks good, but I’m still not too sure about those giant headlights.
